Ethics complaint filed against Sen. Espaldon

A Saipan lawmaker on Tuesday filed an ethics complaint against Sen. James Espladon related to a proposed power plant.

Rep. Edwin Propst filed the complaint with Speaker Benjamin Cruz, citing Espaldon's actions in helping a Saipan-based company try to win a contested power supply contract.

Propst accused Espaldon, as chief negotiator, of perpetuating a false claim that the company he represented had a partnership with equipment manufacturer Fairbanks Morse. The partnership was important, Propst wrote, because the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation was accepting solicitations only from original equipment manufacturers.

The company — General Pacific Services Marianas, Inc. — submitted to the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation a request for quote to install and commission a 10 megawatt diesel generating plant system, he wrote.

Last month, Propst said he would file a formal complaint against the senator after CNMI officials found problems with the company and Espaldon's relationship with it.

Propst stated he finds it hard to believe the senator agreed to do the work for free.

Espaldon, the legislative minority leader, has previously declined to comment on the matter other than to say he doesn’t “want this to be a trial by press.”

The utilities agency in Saipan was looking to purchase a 10-megawatt power generator for $11.7 million from General Pacific. The company had tapped Espaldon, a former attorney, to be its chief negotiator. Philip Roberto, the company’s vice president, previously worked for Espaldon’s office.

During the meeting on the contract, it was revealed Philip Roberto also was the stepson of utility's chairwoman, Adelina Roberto, and that a utility board member, Albert Taitano, was an agent for General Pacific.

Espaldon was the chief negotiator for the RFQ, which made Propst wonder why a Guam senator would negotiate instead of the company's owner, he wrote.

"The people of the CNMI deserve to know if there are any other possible conflicts of interest we are not aware of, and we hope you can help us with this," Propst wrote.

“It is unfortunate that I am compelled to file an ethics complaint...but as a representative of the people of the CNMI and as a CUC rate payer, Senator Espaldon's actions leave me with no other choice.”

Rep. Edwin Propst

He urged Cruz to look into various issues, like Espaldon's trips to Saipan, to see how many were financed as a private citizen or paid by the company, and whether he received any campaign contributions from the company's owners, among other questions.

Information gathered from the local investigation would help CNMI officials know if there was collusion between the company, the CUC board and any elected officials, he wrote.

"It is unfortunate that I am compelled to file an ethics complaint regarding one of your colleagues, but as a representative of the people of the CNMI and as a CUC rate payer, Senator Espaldon's actions leave me with no other choice," Propst wrote.

Propst stated he hopes the complaint and the questions he raised will be investigated by the Guam Legislature.

"We have only scratched the surface so far and hope to discover the truth behind this GPSM RFQ deal that was stacked high with fraud, conflicts of interest and what appears to be collusion," he wrote.